


Warriors: StarClan's Fury: The Star Thorn

by thatonecrazydramakid



Series: Warriors: StarClan's Fury [1]
Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, I don't use the Erins' Characters, Multi, Sorry Not Sorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-12
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:47:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22236598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatonecrazydramakid/pseuds/thatonecrazydramakid
Summary: StarClan is furious. After generations of the Clans refusing to follow their advice, they have gone so far as to banish their medicine cats and forbid even the mention of their ancestors. In response, they send a prophecy revolving one very powerful cat. The Clans immediately believe this cat is meant to save them. However, the reality is that this cat will do much more.Because in order to save the Clans, this cat will have to destroy them first.
Series: Warriors: StarClan's Fury [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1600645
Kudos: 4





	1. Allegiances

**Author's Note:**

> Based off an idea I had a long time ago, about a person being shot and then teleported to the world of Warriors. In short, our current protagonist has nine lives…just probably not in the way you think. This will just be the allegiances, but only ThunderClan’s will have the whole amount of cats b/c I am lazy. I am aware some of the names are copies of cats from the actual series, but I’m not going to come up with original names for every single cat that is involved in this story. I have too many other, more essential problems in my life, so you’ll have to forgive me for that.  
> On to the allegiances!

** ThunderClan **

**Leader** Lionstar—broad-shouldered light brown tom with amber eyes and thick fur

**Deputy** Tigerleap—broud-shouldered brown tabby tom with thick fur and amber eyes

**Warriors** (toms and she-cats without kits)

Oaktail—dark brown tabby tom with white paws and chest, green eyes

Birchleaf—brown tabby tom with white paws and tail-tip, green eyes

Alderstripe—brown tabby she-cat with white paws and tail-tip, green eyes

**Apprentice, Lilypaw**

Cherryheart—reddish brown tabby she-cat with white paws and green eyes

**Apprentice, Snowpaw**

Mouseleap—grey-brown tom with small paws and large eyes, amber eyes

**Apprentice, Rosepaw**

Dustclaw—light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes and a fierce disposition

**Apprentice, Poppypaw**

Sandpelt—light golden-brown tabby tom with amber eyes

**Apprentice, Rainpaw**

Stonewing—grey tom with broad shoulders and a long tail, brown eyes

**Apprentice, Blossompaw**

Ashspots—white-and-grey spotted she-cat with brown eyes

**Apprentice, Dewpaw**

Soottail—white tom with grey spots and brown eyes, one twisted hind leg

**Apprentice, Whitepaw**

**Apprentices** (cats older than six moons, training to be warriors)

Snowpaw—long-limbed white she-cat with one orange and one blue eye, half-deaf

Dewpaw—fluffy pale-grey-and-white she-cat with orange eyes

Rainpaw—fluffy dark grey tabby tom with amber eyes and broad shoulders

Rosepaw—reddish brown tabby she-cat with thick fur and amber eyes

Poppypaw—light brown tabby she-cat with white paws and green eyes

Lilypaw—red-and-brown tabby she-cat with white paws and amber eyes

Blossompaw—reddish brown tabby she-cat with white paws and green eyes

Whitepaw—small black tom with white ears, tail, paws, and chest, green eyes

**Queens** (she-cats expecting or nursing kits)

Leopardspring—light golden-brown spotted tabby she-cat with thick fur and brown eyes, mother of Soottail’s kits: Brackenkit (light brown and white tom-kit), Bramblekit (brown tabby and white tom-kit), Thornkit (golden-brown tabby tom-kit with thick fur), and Briarkit (golden-brown tabby she-kit with thick fur and grey spots)

Berryflower—long-furred grey tabby she-cat with green eyes and a white muzzle, mother Oaktail’s kits: Tansykit (long-furred dark brown tabby she-kit with a white muzzle and chest), Juniperkit (grey tabby tom-kit with white paws), and Hollykit (dark brown tabby she-kit)

Honeyleaf—pretty tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with yellow eyes, expecting Sandpelt’s kits

Petalwing—long-furred grey she-cat with green eyes, expecting Birchleaf’s kits

**Elders** (former warriors and queens, now retired)

Mintwhisker—grey she-cat with a pale muzzle and paws, green eyes

Dovefeather—white-cream she-cat with dark yellow eyes

Squirrelflight—fluffy ginger-and-white tom with brown eyes

Owltail—light brown tabby tom with yellow eyes

** SkyClan **

**Leader** Nightstar—thick-furred black she-cat with soft amber eyes

**Deputy** Kestrelfrost—large brown she-cat with white spots and jet-black paws, green eyes

** ShadowClan **

**Leader** Dawnstar—blue-grey she-cat with piercing yellow eyes and a silver-tipped tail

**Deputy** Scorchclaw—dark grey tom with long fur and green eyes

** WindClan **

**Leader** Owlstar—spotted silvery grey tabby tom with dark gold eyes

**Deputy** Weaselspring—huge long-haired, brown tabby tom with green eyes

** RiverClan **

**Leader** Willowstar—thin black-and-white she-cat with yellow eyes

**Deputy** Mallowfoot—small, mottled pale grey tom with soft fur and brown eyes

** Cats Outside Clans **

Mossy—grey and white she-cat with one orange eye, lives at horseplace

Bing—orange-and-white tabby tom, lives in the hoseplace house

Cheetah—spotted golden-brown tabby she-cat with orange eyes, kittypet

Jupiter—fat orange tabby tom with orange eyes

Applemist—spotted cream-and-grey she-cat with golden eyes, former medicine cat who lives with Mossy in the barn


	2. Prologue (ft. Very Annoyed StarClan Cats)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> StarClan cats I made up literally as I was writing this chapter having a cliché argument about what to do with the traitorous Clan cats, then a vision of our protagonist at the very end of the book after fulfilling a prophecy the Erins don’t have the berries to use. No offense intended towards them, but this is a fairly dark idea that would quickly make Warriors the next Animorphs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why am I writing this story? Simple—I am procrastinating working on Thomas Satyr and the Seven Sisters (commonly abbreviated in my notes as TSatSS). Read it if you want, I might actually get around to updating it by the time you do. Warriors also was a major piece of my childhood, and this is the first time I've managed to create a Warriors fic I liked and could post on a fanfiction site.

For the seventh moon in a row, StarClan had been ignored.

For the seventh moon in a row, the Clans had refused to gather.

And for the seventh moon in a row, Silverstar of ShadowClan was furious.

The silver tabby paced around the Moonpool, tail flicking in irritation. “That foxhearted traitor! I swear, if he doesn’t send his whole Clan to come apologise, I’m going to go down there and rip his throat out through his—”

“Enough, Silverstar.” The dark brown tom shot her an exhausted look, slowly rising to his feet. “They will not come, and you know it.”

Spitting with fury, she strode over to him so they were face-to-face and snarled, “I gave that vulture leadership of my Clan because I thought he could it lead it well. Look what that mange-pelt has done—to all the Clans, no less! I say we show him—show _all_ of them—who the real leaders are here!”

Cries of agreement rose from the starry cats around them. Silverstar sent a smug look her opponent’s way. “While I certainly agree with you, Silverstar,” the tom raised his voice, “I do believe Maplestar, Hollystar, and Coltstar deserve a say as well.”

Coltstar and the she-cats pushed their way through the crowd to the Moonpool. “I agree with Silverstar as well, Hawkstar,” the spotted grey tom announced, blue eyes filled with grief. “It pains me to see WindClan turn astray, and to watch my son banish his own daughter. Applemist deserved respect, not hatred.”

The golden-brown she-cat beside him nodded, green eyes darting to the Moonpool. “Indeed. I propose we send a warrior—one who will bring _our_ traditions back. I know a kit or two in ThunderClan who would be optimal candidates for—”

“Must it _always_ be _ThunderClan_ who saves us? I see nothing wrong with RiverClan. What about you, Hawkstar?” The dark grey she-cat held his gaze, yellow eyes glittering with an almost dangerous light. For a moment, his own eyes wandered in the Moonpool’s lately untouched waters. Far above them, a comet blazed through the night sky, trail glittering orange like fire.

Turning to the other Clan leaders, he cleared his throat before speaking. There was an odd light to his golden-orange eyes. “While there is nothing wrong with SkyClan, nor RiverClan, Hollystar, Maplestar has a point. If I remember correctly, she is descended from Firestar himself, and her sons Lionstar and Tigerleap are the leader and deputy of ThunderClan, respectively. Her daughter Leopardspring recently became the mother of four kits.”

Maplestar nodded, and Coltstar seemed to catch on immediately. “And if a descendant of Firestar tells them to listen to StarClan, they just might!”

“No.” Silverstar waited until the others met her gaze. “This warrior of ours cannot simply _order_ the Clans to listen. They must _show_ them…” There was a dangerous tone to her voice, and Hawkstar looked at the Moonpool once more.

“And they will show them by burning the Clans to their roots.”

~~~

Many moons later, Thornstar of FireClan sat curled on the highest limb of a tree, staring up at the stars.

Below him, blood soaked the earth, and his mother sat mourning by her brothers with their mates and kits. They were not the only casualties, although he knew they would be the last. The war was over, and now he was the leader of FireClan.

“I hope you know what you’re doing.” Turning, he looked to see a familiar golden-brown tabby. In the moonlight streaming down on them, her brown eyes seemed pale. “ _Five_ deputies? Did StarClan tell you this?”

“No, Briarheart, I…I just had a feeling. Each Clan needs its own voice, someone descended from the original five deputies I appointed tonight.” Tail wrapping around his paws, he looked back up and meowed, “I just hope it lasts. One day, someone will come in my pawsteps.”

“To continue this?” He shook his head, and she stared at him. “What will they do?”

“StarClan will use them to rebuild the Clans. FireClan will be no more—and that will be a good thing.” Smiling, he turned to her and added, “You were right. I am odd.”

They both laughed, and she looked at the moon. “No clouds. Juniperwing will be glad—he’s been so excited to be a ‘real’ medicine cat.” Sighing, she looked to their mother and uncles and added,, “Strange to think we were only kits not too long ago.”

“Indeed.” Bracing his shoulders, he tilted his face towards the moon and closed his eyes.

_Indeed…_


	3. Chapter One--Chosen One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our protagonist, Thornkit of ThunderClan, meets his grandmother…and a few other cats as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Thornkit (later Thornstar) is our protagonist. Yes, I am aware having our protagonist be related to Firestar is a fairly cliché move, but I thought the irony would be able to balance that out.

He was not in his nest with his mother and littermates, but somehow he still felt safe.

Opening his eyes, he glanced around, Though the she-cat curled around him was golden-brown, and though her scent was familiar, she was not. A soft muzzle brushed his ear, and a soft voice murmured, “Come on, Thornkit. You need to wake up.”

“I am awake.” Shaking his pelt out, he stumbled forward. The she-cat smiled at him, green eyes shining with pride. “Who are you? Why do you smell like Mama?”

“Are you sure this scrap is our warrior?” He whipped around to see a silver tabby emerge from the shadows, stars sparkling in her fur. Fluffing his own fur out, he hissed at her, and she scoffed. “Maplestar, _seriously._ This is war, not a game.”

Another voice chimed in, this time from a dark grey she-cat with long fur and amber eyes. Licking a paw, she coyly mused, “You’re just jealous, Silverstar,” Walking over to Thornkit and the golden-brown she-cat, she smiled and added, “I like his spirit.”

Two toms—a dark brown one with golden eyes and a spotted grey one—approached as well, both smiling at Thornkit. “He certainly has spunk.” The former mused.

“What’s wrong with his sister?” Silverstar demanded. “Why a tom?”

“Briarkit has a very different fate, although just as important.” The golden-brown she-cat replied. Turning to Thornkit, she meowed, “Thornkit, I am Maplestar, your grandmother. You’ve met Silverstar and Hollystar.” The silver tabby snorted, but the grey she-cat dipped her head. He returned the greeting. “The toms are Hawkstar and Coltstar.”

“Aren’t you dead?” The starry cats exchanged a glance and all chuckled. Then, Thornkit gasped and asked, “Are you part of—you know.”

“Part of StarClan?” He glanced over his shoulder and Maplestar smiled again. “Actually, Thornkit, that’s why we’re here. You have a very big destiny at your paws.”

“What is it?” His grandmother and Hawkstar exchanged a look, and he swore Hawkstar shook his head.

“We can’t tell you, my dear. Not yet, at least. When you’re an apprentice, I want you to come here.” She led him to a pool of water in a rocky quarry. Glancing around, he gawped at the world around him. “This is the Moonpool. It’s where you will meet with us in the future.”

“But—but I’m not a medicine cat. They were all banished—the elders do the healing now.” The other cats’ faces saddened, and he paused. “You want me to bring back the medicine cats?”

Maplestar wreathed around him, purring, “Don’t worry, my grandchild. We have time—your destiny will wait for you to grow up. Be a kit. We will call you when it is time.” His eyes were suddenly very heavy, and he yawned. Before he could ask another question, the starry cats faded from view. As they did, however, their voices whispered in his ear.

“Good luck.”

+++  
Jerking awake in his nest, he found Bramblekit’s foot in his mouth, and Brackenkit lying on top of him. Kicking the two off, he squirmed out of the nest and slipped out of the nursery, shaking his pelt.

Though the sky was light, the sun hadn’t quite cleared the horizon, and he stretched before padding towards the apprentices’ den. In a quarter-moon, he and his littermates would be there. Unfortunately, so would Berryflower’s kits.

It wasn’t that he didn’t like Tansykit, Juniperkit, or Hollykit. Hollykit was rather whiny, though, and Juniperkit talked in his sleep. Beyond that, there were already _eight_ apprentices, and even though most were becoming warriors that day, that only meant they were more likely to get an inexperienced mentor.

“Rather early for you to be up, isn’t it, Thornkit?” At the sound of his father’s voice, he turned to see Soottail and Whitepaw walking over, mouths filled with prey.

“I wanted to see the others go off for their final assessments.” Soottail laughed and dropped a plump mouse at his paws, licking Thornkit’s head.

“You have your mother’s genes, clearly. When I was a kit, I’d sleep in.” Eyes darting over Thornkit’s shoulder, he smiled and added, “And there my girls are. Whitepaw, go eat something and take a nap. Or chat with that girlfriend of yours—which is it this moon? Snowpaw? Rosepaw?”

The black tom laughed, white ears flicking good-naturedly. “Oh, ha _ha_. You know I’m not like that, Soottail.”

Briarkit bounced up to Thornkit, shaking out her grey-spotted tabby fur. Sending a look at their parents, who were talking quietly, she asked, “Think we’ll see the apprentices? Before they leave?”

Before he could answer, all eight apprentices (including Whitepaw) emerged from their den. For the first time, Thornkit found himself marvelling at how _big_ they were. Compared to him and his littermates, the apprentices were glossy-furred, sleek, and athletic. Any trace of kitten fat had been replaced through moons of training. Beside the long-limbed, elegant white Snowpaw and the broad-shouldered, powerful dark grey tabby Rainpaw…he felt useless.

_You are_ not _useless._ Maplestar’s voice echoed in his mind. Ever since he’d had the dream about the StarClan cats three and a half moons before, the starry leaders had periodically chimed in, explaining _why_ StarClan was so important.

He agreed. At the very least, it was nice to know he would see his family and friends even after they died. A morbid thought, but Silverstar called it a pro.

“Thornkit, Briarkit, why don’t you share that mouse? I’ll go get your mother a squirrel.” Soottail meowed, and Thornkit and his sister tucked into the mouse.

Berryflower emerged from the nursery, scratching her ear with one forepaw. “I can’t wait until _my_ kits are apprentices. I love them, but they are _quite_ the pawful.”

_You can say_ that _again._ Thornkit mused, mouth full of mouse. The older apprentices and their mentors trotted off through the camp entrance, Tigerleap and Lionstar on their heels. Looking to Leopardspring, Thornkit asked, “Mama, why are Tigerleap and Lionstar going? Don’t they have duties here?”

From where she and Soottail were sharing a squirrel, she looked up and replied, “Yes, but the senior warriors can handle those just fine. And sweetheart? Don’t talk with your mouth full.”

“Sorry.”

+++

“Blossompaw, from this moment forward, you shall be known as Blossomflight. Your Clan commends your resolve and wisdom, and hopes you will use your gifts well.” Lionstar stepped back, and Blossomflight turned to the Clan with the rest of her denmates. Her mother, Cherryheart, sat by Mouseleap and Dustclaw, all three cheering for their kits.

“Snowwhisker! Dewwing! Rainspring! Roseheart! Poppyclaw! Lilyfrost! Blossomflight!”

The seven young warriors beamed proudly, and Thornkit watched with an odd feeling in his chest. After a second, he realised why. _He_ wanted that. He wanted to have Soottail and Leopardspring look on him with that amount of pride.

Whitepaw was cheering for his former denmates, green eyes filled with pride. No one knew where the tom came from—Thornkit had heard Petalwing and Berryflower gossiping about him many a time. They never did it when Leopardspring was present, after she had sharply reprimanded them for behaving like kittypets. He’d been absurdly proud of his mother, especially when he realised _she_ had probably felt like Whitepaw once. Her brothers were the Clan leader and deputy, so she herself was a bit of an outcast. Once, he had said she could have been a medicine cat. She simply smiled and explained why she couldn’t—they weren’t allowed to have kits. However, Berryflower didn’t seem so amused with him commenting that.

As the ceremony concluded, one of Tigerleap’s mates, Alderstripe, trotted over to him and started talking in a low voice. He nodded and passed it on to Lionstar, who looked over at Leopardspring. While the rest of the Clan congratulated the new warriors, she slipped over to her brothers.

When she came back, Soottail tilted his head. “What is it?”

“A passing fox on the border patrol, but nothing more. We shouldn’t have to worry. Also,” lowering her voice, she glanced at Ashspots, Soottail’s sister and Tigerleap’s _other_ mate, “it seems my brother is to be a father.”

“Oh, dear, Alderstripe is expecting, too?” Glancing around, he joked, “It seems we’ll have to double up on mentoring with so many kits.”

“Someone get the elders! It’s the queens!” Some cat shouted, and Leopardspring sighed.

“Speaking of kits…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On that note, chapter one is done! It was originally finished right after the allegiances, but I don’t know what happened to stop me from typing. Anyways, since we’re currently quarantined, I decided I had the time. By the way, Cherryheart’s mate is Lionstar, and Roseheart, Poppyclaw, Lilyfrost, and Blossomflight are their apprentices. Honeyleaf and Sandpelt are the proud parents of Robinkit (tortoiseshell she-kit with lighter paws), Sparrowkit (dark brown tabby tom-kit), and Ravenkit (black tom-kit). Petalwing and Birchleaf are the (also proud) parents of Morningkit (long-furred grey tabby she-kit), Cloudkit (grey tabby tom-kit), and Sunkit (long-furred brown tom-kit). By this point in the series, almost all the important cats are born, but I am not updating the allegiances so you’ll have to keep your own.


	4. Chapter Two--Double Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thornkit becomes Thornpaw and meets many cats at the Gathering. Later, a disaster happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TWs for canon-typical violence. Also, you’ll be introduced to a lots of cats tonight so be prepared to take notes. I don’t go light on side characters (but I do generally keep track of all my ducklings, even if I made over fifty despite the fact many will die before you meet them). Also, I think last chapter that I called Roseheart, Poppyclaw, Lilyfrost, and Blossomflight apprentices instead of kits. I caught it just after I posted the last chapter and I even had a note about it in the paper manuscript, but I messed up and I’m too lazy to change it. Sorry.

No matter how much he wanted to get out of the nursery, Thornkit wasn’t quite prepared to be Thornpaw.

Of course, maybe it had something to do with his own shyness. The whole Clan would be watching them, and the thought of everyone’s eyes on him made his heart pound in his chest. “Maybe we should wait a couple more moons. Yeah, I’ll just go—yeah.” Treading his paws in the dirt, he glanced at Soottail and Leopardspring, then his littermates,

‘ Briarkit met his gaze, tilting her head curiously. “Thornkit, nothing bad’s going to happen. Besides,” lifting a paw, she licked the pads and swiped it over her ears, “Brackenkit and Bramblekit will probably mess up a _lot_ more than you ever could. They’ve been trying to impress Hollykit and Tansykit for _moons_ now.”

He was about to protest when Petalwing’s sons, Cloudkit and Sunkit, rolled onto his tail while wrestling.

Lionstar leapt onto the Highledge, powerful shoulders rippling beneath his thick light brown pelt. Amber eyes scanning over the Clan camp, he declared, “Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!”

Beside Thornkit, Juniperpaw whimpered, “I think I’m going to puke!” Kneading his dark grey paws into the dust, the tabby’s wide green eyes went to his mother.

She, meanwhile, bent down and licked his ears. “You’ll be fine, Juniperkit. No one will judge you for being nervous.”

Still fidgeting, Juniperkit met Thornkit’s gaze. The nervous grey tabby was nice, he supposed, although nothing like his sisters. Hollykit and Tansykit were much more calm. Nudging the tabby with his shoulder, Thornkit whispered, “Don’t worry. Even if you _do_ trip, I’m sure you wouldn’t be the first.”

“If anything,” Leopardpsring crouched down, a wicked light to her brown eyes, “ _Lionstar_ would probably relate. _He_ tripped on his way to the Highledge at our _warrior_ ceremony.”

“Really?” Both kids stared at her, and she nodded with a grin.

“I’ll tell you more later.” Nodding at her brother, she added, “Listen.”

Lionstar was in the midst of a speech. “Seven kits have reached their sixth moon, which leads to one of the most important moments of Clan life. It’s time for them to become apprentices.” Meeting Thornkit’s gaze with a friendly smile, he beckoned them with his tail and said, “Come forward, all of you.”

Thankfully, none of them humiliated themselves.

For a moment, Lionstar’s gaze hovered on Thornkit. Then, he turned to Brackenkit, the eldest of them all. “Brackenkit, from this day on until you have earned your warrior name, you will be called Brackenpaw.” The Clan cheered, sending a chill up Thornkit’s spine. On either side of him, Briarkit and Juniperkit shivered, one from excitement and the other anxiety.

The warm, familiar scent of Maplestar wreathed around him, and Briarkit and Juniperkit seemed to freeze at his sides.

_In the days of old, the Clan leader would often ask StarClan for their blessing and guidance for the apprentice. While_ you _don’t need to worry, sometimes I fear for the_ other _apprentices in the Clans, especially SkyClan. Angering Silverstar is not a wise choice._

The fierce silver tabby popped into Thornkit’s mind, and he shivered. _Doesn’t seem like it. Did you come here to watch?_

Silverstar’s voice jumped into his mind, annoyed (although perhaps she was perpetually in that state), _Of course we did! I’m not entrusting the future of_ my _Clan to this_ charlatan!

 _She means Lionstar._ Hollystar explained. While Thornkit could sense coltstar and Hawkstar’s presence as well, the toms did not speak.

Maplestar spoke again. _Now pay attention. It’s almost your turn—Brackenpaw and Bramblepaw are Sandpelt and Dustclaw’s apprentices._

“Thornkit,” A twinge of annoyance passed through him at the StarClan cats. He’d missed his brothers’ parts of the ceremony! Meeting Lionstar’s gaze, he smiled and Lionstar returned it. “From this day on until you earn your warrior name, you will be called Thornpaw.” The Clan erupted into cheers, and Lionstar turned, “Oaktail, you will be mentor to Thornpaw. Your strategic thinking and hunting prowess are some of your best traits, and I know that you will make Thronpaw into an admirable warrior.” As the dark tabby approached, Thornpaw felt Lionstar’s muzzle brush his ears. Quietly, the ThunderClan leader added, “Perhaps even an admirable _leader_ one day.”

Jumping, Thornpaw stared at him, eyes wide. There was no hint of anything but pride in his uncle’s amber eyes. Turning to Oaktail, Thornpaw met his green gaze and whispered, “I’ll try to make you proud.”

“You are Maplestar’s kin. Of course you will.” Blinking, Thornpaw pulled back. The white-pawed tabby gave no hint of knowing.

_Do they know?_ Thornpaw asked, but the StarClan cats gave no answer.

“Briarkit,” Pricking his ears, Thornpaw ignored his silent ancestors. He was _not_ missing this. “From this day on until you earn your warrior name, you will be called Briarpaw.” Waiting for the cheers to die down, Lionstar wrapped his tail around his paws. “Snowwhisker, you will mentor Briarpaw.” The half-deaf, long-limbed she-cat stepped forward and touched noses with Thornpaw’s sister. “Your perseverance and inner strength are good qualities for any warrior. Pass these on to Briarpaw.”

“Ready to train hard?” Snowwhisker asked, and Briarpaw’s brown eyes widened.

“Obviously!”

The two she-cats turned back to Lionstar, who continued with Tansykit, or rather, Tansy _paw_. The long-furred, dark brown she-cat touched her white muzzle to Lilyfrost’s, green eyes shining as her white chest fluttered with her breath. She _was_ nervous, yet in a much calmer way than her brother.

When Lionstar stood before Juniperkit, he met Berryflower and Oaktail’s gazes separately, then nodded once. “Juniperkit,” drawing himself up, the light brown leader seemed bigger than ever, “from this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be called Juniperpaw.” Once more, he waited for the cheering to quiet, and met Soottail’s gaze.

_Pay attention,_ Maplestar whispered, _this is important._

Lionstar turned to his brother.

“Tigerleap, you will mentor Juniperpaw.” Gasps crossed the assortment of cats. “You have never failed this Clan, and your battle skills and intelligience are unparalleled by any other deputy. I trust you will pass these traits on to Juniperpaw as you train him to be the next Deputy of ThunderClan.”

As Hollypaw was apprenticed, the Clan going on like nothing had happened, the StarClan cats spoke again. This time, they _all_ spoke in turn—Hollystar first, followed by Coltstar, then Hawkstar, then Silverstar, and finally Maplestar.

_May all of StarClan watch over you—_

_—and guide your paws down the path chosen for you._

_May your prey never escape your paws—_

_—and your resolve never falter._

_Be brave. The Clans need you._

Their voices faded as Hollypaw and her mentor, Stonewing, touched noses, and the Clan erupted into cheering. As soon as they were done, Thornpaw shook his head and turned to Oaktail. “So, what are we doing first?” He asked, wriggling with excitement. With his nerves gone, he suddenly had more energy than he knew what to do with.

Oaktail looked down at him. “Nothing too exhausting, although that doesn’t appear to be a problem. We’re going on patrol. Snowwhisker, Tigerleap, want to come?”

The ThunderClan deputy trotted over. “Can’t, sorry. Can you take Juniperpaw with you, though? Even if I can’t mentor him right off the bat, I would like to have him see the territory.”

Oaktail nodded. “Of course, but don’t think that you can pass your apprentice off on me just because you’re the deputy.” Laughing, Tigerleap went to go chat with Lionstar, and Oaktail looked over his shoulder. “Snowwhisker?” The white she-cat met his gaze and winced. “Would you and Briarpaw like to come with Thornpaw, Juniperpaw, and I? We’re going on patrol.”

“Of course. Sorry—blue side’s my bad side.”

“It’s a non-issue.” As they walked through the bracken entryway, Oaktail lunged and caught a scrap of black fur. “Don’t even think about it, Ravenkit. You’re not six moons old yet.”

Honeyleaf’s kit whined in disapproval. “But I want to go _outside_!”

“You can go out later. Sandpelt!” The light tabby trotted over, Brackenpaw on his heels. “Maybe have Honeyleaf put the kits down for a nap.”

“I was wondering where he’d gone. Come on, Brackenpaw. First job as your apprentice—kit-sitting duty.” Taking Ravenkit in his jaws, Sandpelt led the way to the nursery, Oaktail waved his tail for the others to follow.

+++(skipping the forest because the Gathering is more important and I can’t have Thornpaw find the Moonpool _just_ yet)+++

When he walked onto the island, the first thing he thought was that he had never seen so many cats.

Sure, ThunderClan was big, but it wasn’t _this_ big. As he looked around, inhaling scents he didn’t recognise in the slightest and seeing cats who matched them, he found himself shrinking into the ground a little bit. “Intimidated?” Oaktail asked, landing beside him. When he glanced over, his mentor laughed, “Don’t worry—you wouldn’t be the first.”

They’d brought a lot of cats from ThunderClan—Lionstar and Tigerleap, obviously, then two of the elders, Mintwhisker and Owltail, and all the mentors with their apprentices. Whitepaw immediately trotted off to say hi to several other apprentices, and Soottail called him back after a moment as they padded around. Nodding at Thornpaw and the others, he said, “Why don’t you introduce the new apprentices to your friends? I’m sure they’d appreciate it.”

Whitepaw grinned sheepishly. “Of course. Sorry, I just—I haven’t seen the others since two moons ago!”

Snorting, Soottail trotted off with the older mentors. Lilyfrost and Snowwhisker followed Whitepaw and the others over to a group of apprentices.

“Hey, Owlpaw! What’s up?” Snowwhisker asked, and a green-eyed dark grey tabby looked her way. With a wicked grin, he stood up—and he was much, _much_ taller than Thornpaw.

“Oh, nothing but your usual Gathering. Are these the green-paws?” As he loomed over Thornpaw and the others, a sudden wave of self-consciousness washed over Thornpaw. Instinctively, he wrapped his tail around his back paws and ducked his head. “Hey, don’t worry, I don’t bite.”

“Usually.” A ginger tom pointed out with a roll of his green eyes. For a second, Thornpaw found himself wondering if he was what the legendary Firestar looked like. Maplestar and the others had talked about the tom (Silverstar took the side of his mate, Sandstorm, with what she originally thought about kittypets), as well as many other heroes of the Clans, when they were teaching him more about StarClan and why it was so important.

Owlpaw shot a look at his fellow apprentice. “Come on, Cardinalpaw, don’t be like that. Aren’t you and Starlingpaw flirting with the RiverClan cats by now?”

“They’re not here yet—and _no_ , we don’t _flirt_.” Lifting his chin, Cardinalpaw commented, “I have _far_ too many lovers at home in SkyClan, unlike _you_.”

The two apprentices growled, and Owlpaw playfully tackled his denmate. “They’re from SkyClan,” Lilyfrost explained, ducking her head to talk to the others. It had been about a moon since Thornpaw and the others were apprenticed. The crisp leaf-fall chill was just beginning to set it, and he found himself nervously glancing at the sky.

“Hey, Sky-cats!” The greeting came from behind them, and Thornpaw turned to see two dark grey tabbies and a very dark brown tabby tom walking up. The smaller of the first two, a she-cat with green eyes and a white chest and chin, glanced down at Thornkit and the others. “And Thunder-cats. What’s happened?” 

“Well, Lilyfrost and I got ourselves some apprentices.” Snowwhisker indicated Thornpaw and the others with a flick of her ears. “What about you? Do you have your warrior name yet?”

The she-cat’s brother, who looked exactly like her but with yellow eyes, sighed. “Unfortunately, no. Hey, Thunder-cat.” He met Thornpaw’s gaze and smiled in a friendly way. “I’m Lightningpaw. This is my sister Stormpaw, and our denmate Darkpaw. We’re from ShadowClan.”

“The Clan with too many apprentices and kits and not enough warriors.” Darkpaw sighed, ruffling his fur. “I swear, if Snowpaw sticks his foot in my mouth _one more time_ , I’m going to bite it off.”

Stormpaw swatted him on the back of his head. “Be nice—you were constantly sticking _your_ paws in _my_ mouth. I say it’s retribution.” She met Thornpaw’s gaze, then looked at the others. “So, why do the two of you have _all_ the ThunderClan apprentices? Did their mentors just not show up or something?”

“No—they’re all here. You know Whitepaw. These are Leopardspring and Soottail’s kits—Brackenpaw, Bramblepaw, Thornpaw, and Briarpaw—and Berryflower and Oaktail’s kits—Tansypaw, Juniperpaw, and Hollypaw.” Lilyfrost explained, and Stormpaw met Thornpaw’s gaze again with slightly narrowed eyes.

_She might be important later—I suggest keeping an eye on her for the time being._ Maplestar mused, and he dimly felt the starry she-cat look around. _Hm. I see that_ some _of the others are here, but not all of them. I wonder where WindClan is._

 _They’re probably lagging behind, like usual._ Silverstar pointed out.

_They have_ four _expecting queens, Silverstar. With only_ one _elder, they have to make sure they don’t take the wrong cats in case one of them starts kitting._ Coltstar snapped, which probably meant he was worried.

Some more cats padded up, and Thornpaw was having a hard time remembering their names. There were the RiverClan cats, Cypresspaw, Beechpaw, and Reedpaw, who were all siblings; then there was Shellspring, also of RiverClan, who was a recent warrior. There was also Salamanderfoot, a warrior-elder who was about the age of Snowwhisker and the others but was solely an elder because he had lost the use of his back legs. According to Snowwhisker, Willowstar herself had been forced to drag the tom from the water. He was still allowed to keep doing his warrior duties, but he wasn’t allowed to hunt or patrol for his own safety (and that of the others).

The mottled dark brown tom was pretty fun, in Thornpaw’s opinion.

When the WindClan cats finally arrived, Thornpaw swore he saw doubles. There were two small, mostly black toms with white ears, paws, chest, and tail. One was Whitepaw, and the other had yellow eyes. “Who is that?” He asked, leaning over to Briarpaw. She had a better time with names.

Rolling her tabby shoulders, she glanced over casually and yawned. “That’s Springpaw, Weaselspring’s apprentice. He’s one of the WindClan cats. Acts like he’s all that—supposedly he’s going to be the next deputy. Or so Snowwhisker says he says.”

“He…he kind of looks like Whitepaw, don’t you think?” She sent a glare his way as they settled down. “What?”

“Don’t start acting like Berryflower and Petalwing. You’re better than that.” Some cat shushed them, and both apprentices immediately fell silent. In the massive cedar above them, the Clan leaders all began to settle onto their own separate branches. Once, Maplestar had told Thornpaw about the old Gatherings, how some leaders would invoke a blessing before beginning.

Most of the time, he couldn’t exactly see how anything StarClan did was all that important—the Clans didn’t seem to have changed very much since then.

_Are you doubting us, kit?_ Silverstar snarled in the back of his mind, and he jumped. When Briarpaw looked at him curiously, he flicked his tail and ducked his head, slightly embarrassed. _What, did I scare you? Good! Maybe you’ll get some sense!_

 _Silverstar, blind faith in StarClan is what got us here in the first place._ Hollystar spat back, and Thornpaw tried to shut the squabbling leaders out. He could feel Maplestar, Coltstar, and Hawkstar were rather unimpressed by their colleagues.

Owlstar, a spotted silvery grey tabby, spoke first. Due to Silverstar and Hollystar, Thornpaw only caught the last bits of his announcements. “WindClan is doing well,” he announced. “We do apologize for being so late; one of our queens is very close to kitting, and Heronfeather was starting fights to stay behind.”

Many cats chuckled at that—apparently, Heronfeather was a bit of a spitfire. With a sheepish grin, Owlstar ducked his head and stepped back into the shadows. His dark golden eyes seemed to almost glow.

After a moment’s silent debate, the leader of ShadowClan—a pretty blue-grey she-cat with a silver-tipped tail, Dawnstar—emerged into view. Her piercing yellow eyes studied the Clan cats below her for a moment. “ShadowClan is doing well, too. This moon, we have had twelve kits born across four litters. Feathershine and Wolffang became the parents of Pinekit, Sleetkit, and Blizzardkit. Bluerose and Adderfang became the parents of Yewkit, Berrykit, and Shadekit. Lightshadow and Duskclaw became the parents of Bluebellkit, Tulipkit, and Beekit. Brightwhisker and Redoak became the parents of Elderkit, Aspenkit, and Alderkit. Three of our other cats have become apprentices—Icepaw, Frostpaw, and Snowpaw are apprenticed to Scorchclaw, Blackflower, and Willowtail respectively.”

The Clans cheered for the new apprentices—a trio of mostly white cats. The only tom seemed to be unable to use his legs. When Thornpaw stared at him too long, the cat whipped his head around to meet his gaze. He had one blue and one green eye.

When Thornpaw tried what he hoped was a reassuring smile, the tom returned it and then turned back to the leaders.

Nightstar of SkyClan was next. The thick-furred black she-cat wrapped her tail around her paws. “This moon has been eventful, to say the least. There was a fox on our border with ThunderClan. Presumably, it was just passing by, but for those of you in the area, please be careful.” Clearing her throat, she added, “I do have better news. Not only are we celebrating the apprenticeship of many of our cats, but also the fact that many of our previous apprentices are proving themselves as warriors in their own right. Flowerpaw, Lilypaw, Russetpaw, and Wolfpaw have become Flowernose, Lilytail, Russetpelt, and Wolfpounce.” She waited for the cheering to die down to continue, “Their apprentices are Starpaw, Moonpaw, Dawnpaw, and Duskpaw respectively. Starpaw and Moonpaw’s sister, Nightpaw, is my apprentice.” Everyone gasped, and the black she-cat chuckled. “Yes, I know, it may be unwise to have two cats with the same name in the same camp, especially with one training under the other. But considering the fact that she was named out of respect for me—I can’t imagine why—and that my own namesake, Nightstorm, is here…I thought I would have some fun. SkyClan has been very blessed, and we are grateful that we could be here tonight.”

Owlpaw puffed his chest out with pride, and Thornpaw noticed Cardinalpaw licking the ears of a white-patched black she-cat. She purred and ducked her head. Beside her, her sister—who looked like Nightstar, but with wide blue eyes and a white chest—stared up and around her.

“Hey, do Mossface and Tanglepelt still have that bet going?” Someone called out, and Owlpaw grinned wickedly. From the expression, Thornpaw guessed Mossface was his mentor.

“You bet they do!” He shouted out, and Nightstar lifted a paw.

When everyone was silent, she continued, “Yes, Mossface and Tanglepelt still have their bet going. Of course, we all know that Mossface _really_ should have retired by now. With Rosemoon and Raindrop expecting Wolfpounce and Jaywing’s kits, however, I don’t think we can let him go quite yet.”

The Clans all chuckled again, and Nightstar stepped back, indicating that Willowstar should step up. She was a thin black-and-white she-cat, and her yellow eyes studied everyone for a moment. Hollystar let out a sad noise, and Thornpaw pricked his ears a little bit.

_She and Applemist were very close friends, even though WindClan and RiverClan have not always been the same with each other. I think if Applemist had been around, then more of Willowstar’s kits would have survived._ He froze up, and Hollystar continued, _she’s one of the last believers in StarClan. Her whole Clan is, really, but they have to keep up appearances for the others or else they risk a war._

 _That’s horrible…_ Turning to look at the RiverClan leader again, Thornpaw studied her.

The she-cat cleared her throat with a wracking cough. When she spoke, her voice was hoarse and barely reached the other cats. “RiverClan is well. Several of our kits have become apprentices—Honeypaw, Duckpaw, and Sloepaw. They’re apprenticed to Mallowfoot, Vixentrot, and Lavenderflower, respectively.” Everyone cheered, albeit much more quietly.

_Sloepaw is her surviving daughter. Hers and Coltleap’s. It was their first litter._ Hollystar explained.

“Streamspots, Rushheart, and Mistshine are all doing well, as are their kits. Pebbletail and Toadfoot are the parents of Grasskit, Beetlekit, Cloudkit, Sunkit, and Mossykit. Morningmist and Shellspring are the parents of Dawnkit, Nightkit, Duskkit, and Moonkit.” With a wry smile, the leader added, “And Salamanderfoot hasn’t drowned yet, although he has escaped from camp a good twenty times since last Gathering.”

“You bet I have!” The Clans burst out laughing again, and Willowstar stepped back with a respectful nod to Lionstar. The broad-shouldered light brown tom stepped forwards, shoulders rippling under his pelt. He looked terrifying.

“ThunderClan is doing very well.” He announced in a booming voice. “As many of you know from last Gathering, Snowwhisker, Dewwing, Rainspring, Roseheart, Poppyclaw, Lilyfrost, and Blossomflight have joined the ranks of our warriors. Soon, Whitepaw will be taking his own warrior name.” From where he was, Owlpaw shouldered the ThunderClan apprentice with a grin, and Whitepaw batted back at his friend. “In addition, we have many new apprentices. Sandpelt, Dustclaw, Oaktail, Snowwhisker, Lilyfrost, and Stonewing have become the mentors of Brackenpaw, Bramblepaw, Thornpaw, Briarpaw, Tansypaw, and Hollypaw.” The Clans cheered, and Thornpaw felt himself smiling without actually meaning to. Then his pelt started burning, and he ducked his head with embarrassment. “Hold on, hold on. There’s one more apprentice—Juniperpaw. As many of you know, Tigerleap and I are getting on in our years.” Everyone laughed at the joke—Lionstar and Tigerleap were probably the youngest leader and deputy of the Clans. “As a result, Tigerleap and I decided that Juniperpaw should have some special training—to become the next deputy of ThunderClan.”

The Clans dissolved into raucous cheering at that, and Juniperpaw ducked his head with embarrassment.

“Wow, Juniperpaw. That’s a big—that’s a lot of pressure.” Stormpaw whispered, and Juniperpaw let out a whine. “No, no—I mean, wow, congratulations.”

Thornpaw decided he liked this she-cat.

Lionstar waited to continue. “In addition, we have had several litters born to us, much like many of the rest of you. Honeyleaf and Sandpelt have become the parents of Robinkit, Larkkit, and Ravenkit. Petalwing and Birchleaf have become the parents of Morningkit, Cloudkit, and Sunkit. And finally, Alderstripe and Ashspots are both expecting kits.” Everyone started cheering again, and Tigerleap ducked his head as Kestrelfrost, the SkyClan deputy, pawed his shoulder.

With a wave of his tail, Lionstar ended the announcements, and Thornpaw glanced around for his mentor. For a moment, he was lost in the swirling pelts. Something felt…wrong, somehow. Glancing at Juniperpaw, he realised the grey tabby was shaking, white paws treading the dust. “Juniperpaw? Are you okay?” He asked in a hushed voice, and Juniperpaw looked at him with wide green eyes.

“Something—something’s wrong at the camp. I don’t know what, but I have—I just have this really bad feeling.” Still shaking, the tom looked up at the sky. His eyes widened. “Were those clouds there earlier?”

Thornpaw followed his gaze. Several dark clouds were covering the moon. Oaktail and Tigerleap emerged from the crowd of cats, and Thornpaw looked at them. “We need to go back to camp—now!”

Both toms smiled quizzically. “I know you’re worried, Thornpaw, but there’s nothing to be scared—” Oaktail trailed off when he saw Juniperpaw, who was still shaking even though he was sitting. Trotting over to his son, he nosed his ears. “Juniperpaw? Is everything alright?”

“The—the clouds. They’re angry.” Juniperpaw let out a frightened whimper, and suddenly collapsed. For a few moments, Thornpaw and the warriors simply stared at him where he was, crumpled in the dirt.

Then, Tigerleap moved, helping Oaktail pull the apprentice onto his back. Raising his voice, the tom yowled, “Lionstar!” When his brother looked over, shock crossed the leader’s face. “We need to go—now!”

“ThunderClan, we’re heading back to camp!” Bounding over the gathered cats, Lionstar stopped at his brother’s side and nosed Juniperpaw. “What happened?”

They all looked to Thornpaw. “I was—we were talking about how the clouds were covering the moon. He said he had a bad feeling—that someone was _mad_ —and then—” Helpless, he shook his head. “I’m sorry, I—I don’t—I don’t know what happened.”

“That’s okay, Thornpaw.” Glancing back, Lionstar led the way back to the ThunderClan camp at a near-sprint.

+++

When they got back, something was clearly wrong.

Petalwing was lying in the centre of the clearing, and Thornpaw padded over. When he got a look at the long-furred she-cat’s grey face, he realised what. Her green gaze was staring past him somewhere, looking at nothing. “Petalwing? Are you okay?” Padding over, he nosed her shoulder. Then he smelled a sharp, metallic scent, so strong he could taste it.

Blood.

“Thornpaw?” He looked up to see Oaktail standing in the entrance. He had raced ahead without thinking, trying to figure out what Juniperpaw was so worried about. The StarClan cats had gone silent.

“She—she’s dead.”

“Wh-what?” Glancing around the empty camp as the others arrived, Oaktail turned to Lionstar. “Petalwing is dead.”

The light brown tom’s eyes narrowed, and he leapt onto the Highledge. “Apprentices, go to your den! Now! Snowwhisker, Lilyfrost, I want you to stay with them and make sure they don’t go anywhere. Soottail, Sandpelt, Stonewing, check the nursery and see if everyone is okay. Tigerleap, Oaktail, with me. Mintwhisker, Owltail, stay where anyone can hear you, but check your den. See if everything is okay.” He waved his tail and led the way out of camp. Thornpaw glanced back at Petalwing in the clearing as Snowwhisker and Lilyfrost bundled him and the others towards the den.

“Come on, Thornpaw. It’s okay.” Whitepaw urged, nudging his side. The black tom was carrying Juniperpaw now.

When they were in the den, Thornpaw curled up by Juniperpaw, noticing Briarpaw curl up on their friend’s other side. After a moment, Hollypaw and Tansypaw joined them, then Brackenpaw, Bramblepaw, and Whitepaw. Snowwhisker and Lilyfrost remained at the entrance to the den, standing guard. There was a vicious scent pervading the air, faint but still there.

“What do you think happened?” Briarpaw whispered in his ear, chin resting on his paws. In between them, Juniperpaw shifted in his sleep, whimpering.

“I don’t know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And a cliffhanger, I guess. What happened to Petalwing, exactly? Well, there’s been hints about it recurring throughout the chapter. Comment what you think below, and I’ll tell you if you’re right next chapter! Also, in the next chapter—kit-sitting duty!  
> Note right after publishing: Yes, I am aware one sentence makes it seem like Briarpaw is a male. Her head is resting on Thornpaw's paws, though, not her own, I'm just too lazy to edit that out right now. Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter Three: Kit-Sitting Duty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the disaster the night of the Gathering, Thornpaw, Juniperpaw, and Briarpaw are placed on kit-sitting duty. In addition, the repercussions to what happens when a queen dies and her kits don’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is meant to be short, since the next one is fairly beefy. Also, Chapter Two (four in the manuscript) was 12 pages out of 24 until this one cropped up, so…yeah. It was a long one. Several mentioned cats from last chapter are important, by the way (it also gave me the chance to realise how many cats have the prefix ‘Night’ in my allegiances).   
> Note from 4/17/2020: I wrote a lot of these chapters several weeks before they were published because at the time I was about to upload them I ended up having a small mental breakdown due to stress about online schooling.  
> Anyways, let’s begin!

Dovefeather and Petalwing had been killed by a fox.

It was the same fox that Leopardspring and Soottail had talked about the day of Thornpaw and the others’ apprenticeship ceremony, and the one that Nightstar had mentioned at the Gathering. While they were gone, it had broken into the camp. One of the elders, Dovefeather, had been killed trying to defend the nursery. By the time the missing warriors, who had been off patrolling and hunting, returned, the fox was dragging her body from camp. They had fought her off, with some injuries. Squirrelflight had survived, although he was injured as well from fighting the fox. Petalwing had been killed first—she was the one who discovered the fox breaking in. The other warriors had been patrolling above and around the camp when the Gathering group returned. Thornpaw didn’t really know Dovefeather—the cantankerous white-cream she-cat was never all that friendly to him, and he didn’t like the way her dark yellow eyes followed him wherever he went. But he _did_ remember Petalwing—she had been with him in the nursery for several moons by the time he left the nursery. Either way, both deaths had been a shock, and a tragedy.

Thankfully, none of the kits had been harmed, and neither had Alderstripe or Honeyleaf.

For now, Ashspots, Leopardspring, and Berryflower had all joined in the nursery, if only to keep it warm at night. All three were keeping up with their warrior duties, even though Ashspots was expecting kits and Lionstar had told the other two queens they didn’t need to. The whole Clan was helping where possible, even though it had already been a quarter-moon since the fox attack. Patrols had been upped, as was hunting, and the kits and queens were being watched at all times.

For now, that meant Thornpaw and the other apprentices were on kit-sitting duty.

Honeyleaf, Alderstripe, and Ashspots were all basking in the sunshine on the rocks above the camp. Leopardspring, Berryflower, Oaktail, Soottail, and Birchleaf were all with them. Since the death of his mate, the brown tabby tom had spent his time either watching over the queens or the kits, with no in-between. It was almost as if he were trying to make it up to his mate.

As Thornpaw and the others sat outside the nursery, he found himself wondering when the next death would happen. Would Robinkit, Larkkit, Ravenkit, Morningkit, Cloudkit, and Sunkit suffer through the same experience as him? Would they come back only to find Ashspots or Alderstripe, or another queen, on the ground? What if they did? What if _they_ were the next deaths? What if they came back from a patrol and Cloudkit or Sunkit or Morningkit had managed to get out into the woods and vanish? What if they got hurt or lost or—

“Thornpaw!” Snapping out of his thoughts, he glanced up to see Briarpaw looking at him. “Can you toss that moss-ball back over?” Glancing down, he saw the bundle of moss at his paws and batted it back. Sunkit jumped on top of it, his long brown fur poofed out and matted with dust. “Oh, come here.” Pinning the brown tom-kit, Briarpaw pulled a thorn from his long fur and meowed, “You’re going to get yourself hurt one day, you know.”

“Maybe, but then I’ll just go to the elders for a check-up! I’ll be fine!” He turned and tackled Cloudkit, who squeaked and began battering his brother’s underbelly with small grey paws. Morningkit squealed when they landed on her and kicked Cloudkit in the face, and the three kits began tousling immediately.

“Please stop fighting.” Juniperpaw mumbled, covering his ears with his paws. Honeyleaf’s kits were curled into his tabby side, dozing off. They had managed to tire themselves out earlier, while the other kits were napping with Briarpaw.

Thornpaw glanced at his friend sympathetically. “Another one of your headaches?” When Juniperpaw nodded, Thornpaw mused, “I wonder if Lionstar would let me and Oaktail go looking for some herbs. We could find some borage for Honeyleaf, so she can feed the kits better. We could also find some dandelion or feverfew for your headaches.”

With a laugh, Briarpaw turned and asked, “What are you, a medicine cat?”

“If I am, then you’re the next leader of ThunderClan,” he shot back, and she tackled him.

“Please stop, my head hurts and you’re not helping.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said, short chapter. Mostly, it’s meant to give some more information about what happened to Dovefeather and Petalwing, and also talk about the results that happened. I always like to think that kit-sitting duty is actually a thing in the books, but since this is probably my last story with the fandom then I don’t think I’ll be around to see that happen. Oh well, people grow up, I guess.  
> Now, on to the next chapter!


	6. Chapter Four: The Moonpool

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter you’ve all been waiting for—Thornpaw finally finds the Moonpool. Since he’s on an herb-gathering trip with his mentor, however, things may be a little bit…dicey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really did have to look up on the Warriors wiki whether or not feverfew could be used for headaches as well as other aches and pains. Also, dandelion is listed as a mild painkiller. The more you know. Well, we’re just going to jump right in on this chapter in what is the second and a half chapter I’ve written on today, March 24th of 2020.

As he padded through the woods, all Thornpaw could think about was finding those herbs.

He knew what dandelions looked like—the poofy yellow flowers with green stems and weird-looking leaves. Those were easy enough to find—he saw several patches on his way away from camp, grown mostly on the part of several rainstorms they’d had over the past several days. Now, he and Oaktail had gotten permission from Lionstar to get the medicine that Juniperpaw sorely needed. The grey tabby had been unable to move from his nest, due to a migraine that had made him throw up.

They were trawling the northern edge of ThunderClan territory, closer to SkyClan, looking for dandelion and feverfew. ‘They’ being him and Oaktail. His mentor didn’t seem to mind going out in the rain, and neither did Thornpaw. Much like his sister, he had thick fur and didn’t mind getting his paws muddy.

_As long as it doesn’t involve drowning in mud._ The thought of some of his nightmares came back to him, and he closed his eyes, shaking his head. Unfortunately, as he did that, he ran headfirst into a tree.

“You okay, there?” Oaktail asked, and he looked up to see his mentor with several dandelions in his mouth.

Pelt burning, Thornpaw nodded. “Yeah, just…distracted, I guess. Something feels…off, I guess.” With a roll of his shoulders, he got back to his paws and shook himself off. “I’m fine, don’t worry.”

“I’d hope you are. Come on—I saw some feverfew over there while Berryflower and I were hunting the other day.” They trotted over in that direction, and Thornpaw started bounding along the uphill slope without really thinking. He’d never explored this part of the territory—for some reason, Tigerleap seemed to always assign him and Oaktail to the WindClan border whenever they went on patrol. “Thornpaw, slow down! You might hurt—”

Thornpaw’s paws went skidding over the edge of a precipice.

With a yelp, he twisted and slammed his paws into the edge of the cliff, glancing down. Below him, the stone twisted downwards in a spiral, leading to a pool of water. _What the…_

Oaktail trotted up, concern on his face. “Thornpaw, I told you to slow down! Why didn’t you listen to me?”

“I—I’m sorry.” His mentor set the dandelions down and hauled him up by the scruff, setting him down in the muddy leaves. Glancing at the pool, he continued, “What is that?”

Dismissively, Oaktail glanced at the water, then did a double-take. “The Moonpool.” He breathed the words. When Thornpaw glanced at him, the tom shook his pelt out and picked up the dandelions. “Why don’t you go look for some feverfew down there? I’ll look up here, keep an eye out for foxes.”

Nodding, Thornpaw went to where the slope started to tilt down, taking a much safer route than the one he’d nearly fallen down. Under his paws, he could feel his steps slip into ancient imprints far, far older than him. When he got to the edge of the pool, he bent down. _Is this—is this really the time?_

The familiar scents of the starry leaders wreathed around him, and he felt a breeze ruffle his fur. _Not quite yet, Thornpaw._ Maplestar whispered from right beside him. When he looked over, he could almost see her. _But the night of the next Gathering, here’s what we need you to do._

Hawkstar jumped in, the former ShadowClan leader’s voice echoing across the pond. For a moment, Thornpaw swore the dark brown tom was crouched across the Moonpool from him, eyes holding his. _You’re going to go on a hunting patrol with Oaktail, and you’re going to catch a mouse. When you get back, you’re going to eat that mouse_ alone _._

_It’s not going to taste very nice, just a warning,_ Coltstar pointed out with a sympathetic look, bounding across the stone edge of the pool to land by Thornpaw’s side. _But it’s necessary._

Hollystar met his gaze from right beside him. _It’s going to taste_ disgusting _, actually. You’re going to feel absolutely_ awful _afterwards. In fact, you’re going to feel so awful that you’ll throw up. But that’s where the fun part is._

“I’m sorry, but how is _throwing up_ and feeling awful _fun?”_ He asked, watching the starry cats as they walked around him.

_Because you get to tell Tigerleap that you need to stay home. That’s why no one else can eat it. At least, you’re going to let Oaktail know to tell Tigerleap that he’s staying back with you._ Hollystar continued.

Coltstar jumped in next. _Later, after a nap, Oaktail is going to take you outside the camp for some fresh air. The two of you are going to come here as quickly as possible. We’ll explain from there. But know this, Thornpaw—_

_—If Tigerleap and Lionstar learn that you have visited this place specifically to talk with us, then you will be exiled from ThunderClan—or worse._ Silverstar began, and he whipped around to stare at her.

“But—but I’m their _kin_. Why—”

_Because Lionstar and Tigerleap believe that any cat who believes differently than they do is a threat._ Maplestar finished. _Which is why no one—absolutely_ no one _—may learn of this. Oaktail will bring you here repeatedly during training sessions, but other times you will have to sneak out of camp on your own._ A sympathetic look came to her eyes, and she added, _I am sorry, Thornpaw, but this is the way things must be. The next time we speak will be the night of the next Gathering. Focus on your training for now._

_And remember—_ no one else can know.

The cats faded away, leaving him standing at the edge of the Moonpool. Chest heaving, he sat down heavily and stared at his paws. His mind was swirling with what they had just told him. Closing his eyes, he shook his head to try and clear it, then stood up and had to sit down again. His legs were shaking too badly—he wouldn’t be able to make it up the slope in this state. When he opened his eyes, he realised there were several bundles of feverfew at his paws. While they had given him a curse, the StarClan cats had also left him with a gift.

“Thornpaw!” He looked up and saw Oaktail bounding down the steps. The dark tabby skidded to a stop when he saw Thornpaw’s expression, green eyes filled with concern. Setting down the herbs he collected with Thornpaw’s feverfew, he wrapped his tail around the younger tom’s shoulders. “What’s wrong?”

“I just—I don’t know.” He looked up at Oaktail. “Are—if they find out—will Lionstar and Tigerleap really—?” He stopped, clamping his mouth shut, and Oaktail took a shaky breath and looked away. “They will, won’t they?”

“I’m sorry, Thornpaw. This is something that you’ll stand on the opposite side of Lionstar and Tigerleap from—maybe even your parents, too.” When Thornpaw kept staring at him, dismayed, the tabby added, “I am sorry, Thornpaw. Believe me, this is not a destiny I would thrust on any cat, let alone an apprentice.” Picking up the herbs in his jaws, he added, “Let’s get back to camp.”

As he padded away, Thornpaw asked, “Wait, Oaktail.” When his mentor met his gaze, he asked, “What—what am I going to—what am I supposed to do?” Oaktail set down the herbs, holding Thornpaw’s brown gaze with his own green.

“You’re going to destroy the Clans, Thornpaw.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Duh-duh-duh, another cliffhanger. Sorry, I just couldn’t resist. Anyways, also another short chapter, apologies for that, but I’m technically meant to be working on a birthday gift for my dad (it’s still the 24th, by the way). Anyways, on to the next chapter—once it gets written, obviously.   
> Note from 4/17/2020: I’ll update chapters randomly from now on, but you should get one or two every week as I wrote all the way to Chapter Twelve before things get a little more fragmented in how I wrote. I don’t want to overwhelm you with a bunch of chapters suddenly being up, however, so I’m afraid this is going to be a fairly short story for the moment.


End file.
